When I studied education in college, I chose special education as my major. The ladies in my family, from my aunt to my mother, were special educators, and I had watched them teach for years. I was always interested in having my own classroom and working with children who had disabilities. I grew up imagining what my classroom would look like and what I would do as a teacher.
During my coursework, I can recall one teacher telling the class of fifty or so special education majors that the majority of us would not be in the field in a decade. Seems like the rate of dropout, at least back then, was high, and that many teachers of special education burned out after about five years. We were told how difficult the field could be, and how challenging our jobs would be daily, but we were bright eyed and ready to go, and so we simply nodded and, I can remember thinking, I would not be the one leaving the field after five years. I would be one of the ones that made it for the long haul.
Fast forward to now. I don’t teach special education; I own a marketing company. What a switch, you say! The instructor was right; the field was tough and did have a high burnout rate. While I spent ten years in the classroom teaching, I saw other people come and go quite quickly. My old roommate lasted one year and then she went on to graduate school so she could get out of teaching altogether.
Job burnout is a fact that many of us will face at one time or another, even if you are not a special educator. Job burnout can happen in any field, even a ‘fun’ career. My friend’s husband worked in television for years. He went to work each day and saw the cast of Friends. Yet he, too, burned out, and eventually left his career altogether. Another friend of mine went from teacher to lawyer, and still another went from a business major to a boat captain.
If you are facing burnout in your position there are several things that you can do to try to refresh yourself.
A change in pace may be all that is needed. Take a break. Three, four, five days up the coast or into the mountains is sometimes all that is needed to soothe your savage soul. Wrap up with a good book, get a massage or play a round of golf.
If that doesn’t work, chances are you need a daily change of pace. Oftentimes people get bored with the same old, same old. See if you can tackle some new projects at work, or if you can move from one department to another. Typically these types of moves, if done laterally, will not result in a cut in pay. You’ll retain your position, your salary and your benefits but you will get to meet some new challenges, which might be all that you need. One friend of mine switched from teaching to administration and was instantly very happy with her change. Sometimes stepping down from a management position to one with less responsibility is also an option.
One of your last straws would be what I did, and that is to get out of the field entirely. I didn’t do this instantly. In fact, first I stepped into another role in the education field, but I didn’t enjoy that role, either, and realized that teaching was not really for me.
That happens. We study careers when we are young and then we get into the real world and realize what we thought we would love to do is not really what we want. So, we have to leave the job.
However, leaving a career that you despise is a better option than remaining. I know teachers who count down the months until vacations and then until retirement because they are unhappy with their jobs. Living like this, in a perpetual state of wanting the future to come quickly, is the worse option, because then you are wishing your time away. Instead, figure out what it is that will make you happy when you wake up each day and then determine if that is something that you can accomplish. If so, make a plan and do it.